http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/infosec.xml Keeping Seattle Citizens Informed Thu 17 June 2010 11:00:00 +0000 en daily 1 http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#global-ring Thu 17 June 2010 11:00:00 +0000 Police in 12 countries have arrested 178 individuals linked to an international credit card fraud ring. According to a statement from the Spanish Interior Ministry, the arrests were the result of a two-year investigation that included 84 raids carried out in France, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Romania, Australia, Sweden, Greece, Finland, Hungary and the United States.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#nextgen-app Thu 17 June 2010 11:00:00 +0000 Banks in Russia and Ukraine are under continued siege by criminal gangs wielding a sophisticated, next-generation exploitation kit that hacks the financial institutions' authentication system and then hits it with a denial-of-service attack.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#fed-block Thu 17 June 2010 11:00:00 +0000 AOL's sale of ICQ messaging software to Russian firm Digital Sky Technologies might yet be blocked by US authorities, which fear losing access to transcripts from the criminal fraternity's favoured messaging product.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#linux-malware Mon 14 June 2010 10:30:00 +0000 I've got good news and bad news for those of the misguided perception that Linux is somehow impervious to attack or compromise.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#alert-xp Mon 14 June 2010 10:30:00 +0000 Microsoft is warning Windows XP and Server 2003 users that exploit code has been posted online showing attackers how to break into these operating systems remotely via a newly-discovered security flaw.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#red-condor Mon 14 June 2010 10:30:00 +0000 Scammers using spoofed brands, social engineering, and phishing tactics to distribute malware on PCs via drive-by download.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#ipad-hack Fri 11 June 2010 11:30:00 +0000 The harvesting of over 100,000 iPad 3G owners' e-mail addresses was not a hack or a classic data breach, but a brute force attack of a minor feature AT&T offered to Apple customers, experts said Wednesday.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#flash-update Fri 11 June 2010 11:30:00 +0000 Adobe Flash Update Plugs 32 Security Holes

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#safari-five Wed 09 June 2010 14:00:00 +0000 Apple launches Safari 5, patches record 48 bugs.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#zeus-trojan Wed 09 June 2010 14:00:00 +0000 ZeuS Trojan Attack Spoofs IRS, Twitter, Youtube

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#botnet-posers Fri 04 June 2010 09:30:00 +0000 Tens of thousands of bots are cracking CAPTCHAs and joining websites in order to steal information, extort money

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#infected-computers Fri 04 June 2010 09:30:00 +0000 Attempts to infect computers has increased more than 25 percent according to Kaspersky Lab. In the first three months of 2010, more than 327 million attempts were made to infect user computers in a variety of countries around the globe. From the previous quarter, this is an increase of 26.8 percent.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#atm-skimmers Fri 04 June 2010 09:30:00 +0000 ATM skimmers (fraud devices that criminals attach to cash machines in a bid to steal and ultimately clone customer bank card data) are marketed on a surprisingly large number of open forums and Web sites. For example, ATMbrakers operates a forum that claims to sell or even rent ATM skimmers. Tradekey.com, a place where you can find truly anything for sale, also markets these devices on the cheap.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#tues-patch Fri 04 June 2010 09:30:00 +0000 Microsoft today said it will deliver 10 security updates next week to patch a record-tying 34 vulnerabilities in Windows, Internet Explorer, Office and SharePoint.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#online-reputation Wed 02 June 2010 10:45:00 +0000 Social networking, and the broader concept of online privacy, have been under some rather intense scrutiny over the past couple of weeks. The issues at Google--voracious indexer of all things Internet, and Facebook--the largest social network and number one most visited site (according to Google) have made many users more acutely aware of what information is available about them on the Internet. However, your online reputation is being used in ways you may not be aware of, and could cost you.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#mac-spyware Wed 02 June 2010 10:45:00 +0000 Intego, makers of security and privacy apps for the Mac, warned on Tuesday that some Mac software include a new piece of invasive spyware. Macworld has obtained a preliminary list of the applications with the spyware.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#super-rank Wed 02 June 2010 10:45:00 +0000 China has finally achieved its ambition of becoming a calculating superpower with news that one of the country's supercomputers is now the second most powerful number-cruncher on earth.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#tab-phishing Wed 26 May 2010 10:00:00 +0000 A researcher has found a new method for carrying out phishing attacks that takes advantage of the way that browsers handle tabbed browsing and enables an attacker to use a script running in one tab to completely change the content in another tab, according to ThreatPost.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#rootkit-threat Wed 26 May 2010 10:00:00 +0000 With nearly 2 million infected systems cleaned, the nefarious Alureon rootkit comes out on top. Since it first appeared in 2006, Alureon (known in various incarnations as TDSS, Zlob, or DNSChanger) has morphed into a mean money-making marvel: a varied collection of Trojans most famous for their ability to invisibly take control of a PC's interactions with the outside world.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#bugs-fixes Mon 24 May 2010 12:30:00 +0000 The bugs keep marching in, with Microsoft, McAfee, and Mozilla all having to deal with serious security-related software problems in the past month.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#poison-pdf Mon 24 May 2010 12:30:00 +0000 Attacks employing poisoned PDF files have leaped to the top of the threat list, according to statistics from major security companies. Symantec reports that suspicious PDF files skyrocketed in 2009 to represent 49 percent of Web-based attacks that the company detected, up from only 11 percent in 2008. The next-most-common attack, involving a good old Internet Explorer flaw, was far behind at 18 percent.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#typhoid-adware Mon 24 May 2010 12:30:00 +0000 There's a potential threat lurking in your Internet cafe, say University of Calgary computer science researchers: Typhoid adware.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#bugnet-spies Mon 24 May 2010 12:30:00 +0000 Imagine sitting in a cafe and discussing the details of a business proposal with a potential client. Neither you nor the client has a laptop; you're just two people having a conversation. But unbeknownst to you, someone half a world away is listening to every word you say. Later, as you leave, you receive a text message referring to the proposal and demanding money in exchange for silence.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#ibm-usb Fri 21 May 2010 13:00:00 +0000 The company was forced to write to delegates apologising for its error. "At the AusCERT conference this week, you may have collected a complimentary USB key from the IBM booth. Unfortunately we have discovered that some of these USB keys contained malware and we suspect that all USB keys may be affected."

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#twitter-iphone Fri 21 May 2010 13:00:00 +0000 Twitter's new iPhone app is being used as a lure for a new worm attack that ultimately steals a victim's financial credentials.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#apple-update Fri 21 May 2010 10:30:00 +0000 Apple has pushed out an update that fixes at least 30 security vulnerabilities in its version of Java for Mac OS X systems.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#atm-skimmer Fri 21 May 2010 10:30:00 +0000 Detectives with the Pasco County Sheriff's Office are searching for a pair who placed a skimming device and a pin-hole camera on a New Port Richey, Florida bank's ATM machine Saturday, May 15 in an attempt to steal ATM card account numbers and pin codes.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#oracle-secerno Fri 21 May 2010 10:30:00 +0000 Oracle will acquire Secerno, which makes firewall products for databases that protect against hackers and data breaches, the companies said Thursday.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#usb-worm Wed 19 May 2010 11:45:00 +0000 A worm that is spreading via USB flash drives has been named the biggest security threat to PC users by McAfee.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#win7-bug Wed 19 May 2010 11:45:00 +0000 Microsoft today warned users of a vulnerability in the 64-bit versions of Wndows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 that could be used to hijack systems.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#symantec-verisign Mon 19 May 2010 11:45:00 +0000 Security vendor Symantec Corp. is reported to be close to buying Internet infrastructure services vendor VeriSign Inc.'s security business for $1.3 billion.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#face-hack Wed 17 May 2010 9:30:00 +0000 Facebook has identified the hacker named Kirllos who tried to sell 1.5 million Facebook accounts recently in underground hacking forums.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#twit-bot Wed 17 May 2010 9:30:00 +0000 The builder tool, dubbed Trojan.Twebot by Symantec, allows the creator to construct a copy of the trojan and specify a particular Twitter account to be associated with it.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#ie6-expired Mon 17 May 2010 9:30:00 +0000 Microsoft is urging users to dump the aged Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) with a campaign that claims the browser is past its expiration date.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#win-seven Wed 12 May 2010 9:15:00 +0000 Scammers are infecting computers with a Trojan horse program disguised as software that determines whether PCs are compatible with Windows 7. The attack was first spotted by BitDefender May 9 and is not yet widespread; the antivirus vendor is receiving reports of about three installs per hour from its users in the U.S. But because the scam is novel, it could end up infecting a lot of people due to the interest in Windows 7.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#micro-adobe Wed 12 May 2010 9:15:00 +0000 One of the critical updates pushed by Microsoft fixes a flaw in Outlook Express, Windows Mail and Windows Live Mail. On older versions of Windows (Windows XP for example) Outlook Express is installed by default, while Windows Mail and Windows Live Mail generally require users to affirmatively download and install the program.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#apple-cards Wed 12 May 2010 9:15:00 +0000 Hackers have constructed a bogus Web site designed to steal the account numbers and PINs of gift card holders. This latest consumer phishing scam uses a typosquatted Web site disguised as an official Apple site to trick users into entering their card numbers and PINs in order check the available balance on gift cards for Apple products. The scam is just the latest in a line of sophisticate phishing attacks that has security software companies and law-enforcement agencies urging consumers to take their time and pay close attention to where they are actually conducting transactions to avoid being ripped off.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#apple-safari Mon 12 May 2010 9:15:00 +0000 A highly critical zero-day vulnerability has been discovered in Apples Safari web browser, according to Danish vulnerability tracking firm Secunia.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#micro-patch Fri 7 May 2010 12:00:00 +0000 Microsoft is planning a light patch load for next week, the software giant announced Thursday. Due to timing, the company was unable to produce a fix for a recently disclosed SharePoint vulnerability.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#ftc-warning Tue 27 Apr 2010 16:00:00 +0000 U.S. consumers are being inundated with prerecorded robocalls from companies claiming they can negotiate lower credit-card interest rates - for a fee.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#ipad-malware Tue 27 Apr 2010 16:00:00 +0000 Apple iPad users are being warned of an email-borne threat which could give hackers unauthorized access to the device.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#bbb-phishing Tue 27 Apr 2010 16:00:00 +0000 Scammers are taking the Better Business Bureau's name in vain, in yet anther version of the phishing scam, according to the agency's Pacific Northwest office.

]]> http://www.seattle.gov/informationsecurity/newslttr.htm#twitter-phish Tue 27 Apr 2010 16:00:00 +0000 Twitter issued a warning April 23 about phishing e-mails that tell users they have unread messages on the micro-blogging site.

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